Steam land-propeller



G. W. N. YOST.

Traction-Wheel.

No. 15,050. Patented June 3. 1856.

UNITE GTATES PATENT @FFICE.

GEORGE \V. N. YOST, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

STEAM LAND -PROPELLER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 15,050, dated June 3, 1856.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, G. IV. N. Yosr, of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Land-Propellers, and that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the principle or character which distinguishes it from all other things before known and of the usual manner of making, modifying, and using the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, of which- Figure 1, represents a plan view of the machine; Fig. 2, a side elevation; Fig. 3, a detached part of the caster, showing in sections the connection of the rims and plungers; Fig. a, the gearing arrangement shown in sections, and also the mode of loosening and tightening the driving wheels to shaft (a) it also exhibits the pins Z, Z, into the slot in the hub of the driving wheel and holding said wheel stationary on shaft (a). Fig. 5 shows in section the wheels f, 7, moved to stop (12,) and the collar (9,) placed in their stead. Fig. 6, exhibits the slot (t,) and stops on the hub of the driving wheel.

My invention consists in a certain arrangement and combination of mechanical devices by which I am enabled to construct a practicable simple and a very cheap motive power for the purpose of drawing heavy loads on the common roads, plowing, &c., also to have all the advantages of a stationary motive power for threshing grain, &c., which I denominate the land propeller.

The constituent parts of my invention are as follows: First, I provide a machine that will cost much less than any similar contrivance heretofore known, it is also much easier managed and will work with great facility on soft ground, and in ascending and descending hills, in short I feel confident that I have overcome the many difficulties which have heretofore evinced failure in this class of invention.

I have found by experiment that an invention of Charles Rumley for a rotary steam engine is wonderfully adapted to my purpose for the motive power, because of its simplicity compactness and the perfect control the engineer can have over it in stopping, reversing and turning the machine. This engine e, shown in Fig. 1,

gives motion to a, and keyed to this shaft is a pinion spur wheel 7, which meshes into spur wheel f, on shaft a, said wheel working loosely on said shaft. Another pinion wheel 7, also working loosely on shaft a is secured to and revolves with wheel 7, and meshes into wheel f which is loose on shaft a, this wheel 7, has secured to it and turning with it another pinion f, on same shaft which takes into wheel f, on shaft a, which latter wheel is keyed to and turns with shaft (4. It will be clearly seen that this arrangement of cog gearing difl'ers very essentially from ordinary gearing by having all the wheels arranged on the two main shafts a and a, a large amount of room is saved (which is a very important consideration,) and all of the expense of providing shafts and bearings for all of the said wheels as in ordinary gearing.

Suppose the machine is put in motion the engine turns shaft (4, around about two hundred times per minute; the small cog wheel f, being keyed firmly to shaft a, must necessarily revolve with it. This cog wheel 7, takes into the large cog wheel 7', as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. Said large wheel being three the diameter of wheel 7", on shaft a, would turn around sixty six and a third times per minute, the small pinion wheel 7, on shaft (0, being firmly secured to the large wheel 7, and revolving with it, both working loosely on shaft a. Now it will be seen that this small cog wheel 7, taking into the large cog wheel f which also works loosely on shaft a, the wheel f being three times the diameter of the small wheel 7, will be turned around one third the number of times that the said small wheel 7, is, or about twenty two times per minute. It will be seen that the small cog wheel f working loosely on shaft 66, and being firmly secured to the large wheel f and revolving with it and taking into the large cog wheel 7, on shaft a, will necessarily turn this large wheel 7, around one third the number of its own revolutions or about seven and one third times per minute; it will also be seen that this large cog wheel f being keyed firmly to shaft a, said shaft must revolve with it, the driving wheels I), and Z), being secured to shaft (1, and being about one rod in circumference the machine will necessarily be propelled about seven and one third rods per minute or about one and two ninth miles per hour or in other words, about the proper speed for plowing and drawing heavy loads on the common roads, &c.

I Wish here to state that the number of cogged wheels and their dimensions may be varied so as to be adaptable to any and all the various uses to which the propeller may be applied.

When necessary to increase the speed of the machine the hinged collar 9, is removed and spur wheel 7, and its pinion 7, moved to stop 71, secured on shaft a, and this collar g, placed in its stead and the wheels f and 4, keyed to shaft (4, which diminishes the gearing but increases the speed of the machine.

F or the purpose of securing and loosening the driving wheels on shaft a, while in the act of turning the machine I have contrived a peculiar arrangement placed at either end of the shaft between the driving wheels Z) and Z), one of which I will describe, the other being similar. A tiller wheel 2', is held in place on shaft a, by two of its arms extending into an annular slot 8. On said shaft the hub of this wheel is made so as to admit of a threaded barrel j, which has a circular plate 7?, on its end. This plate has two pins Z, Z, stationed at proper distances on its face and which extend through a similarplate m, secured firmly to the shaft a, and into a slot in the hub of the driving wheel. hen necessary to turn the machine to the left the wheel 6, is loosened on the shaft by turning the tiller Wheel Z, which will draw the pins Z, Z, out of the slot in said wheel and thereby leave the wheel free. This slot 23', is made in the hub of the driving wheels Z), and Z), and has two stops cast within it at equal distances from each other. It will be seen that by leaving a slot as shown in Fig. 6, the pins Z, Z, will secure the wheel to the shaft with much more certainty than if mere holes were left for the reception of the pins.

In the front part of frame Z), and for the purpose of guiding the machine I have contrived a very perfect arrangement which I describe as follows. Two flanged circular rims 0, 0, are brought together and secured by screws between these flanges is held an annular rim P. For the purpose of retaining these flanged rims in their proper place and at the same time allowing them free horizontal motion the upper rim 0, extends above the surface of the circular rim P, (said rim is secured to the frame 6,) and forms a pulley wheel for ropes which are for the purpose of giving motion to the caster. The ropes are carried around the large pulley wheel in different directions, and carried around two small pulleys or friction wheels 00, m, and thence to pulleys w, m, on each side of and connected with Windlass T, which works loosely on shaft (1. Within the space 4), of the rims revolves a wheel 12, whose axis 1 is so arranged as to be exactly in the leverage of the draft of the pulley ropes as seen in the drawings Fig. 2. By this arrangement I can more easily effect the turning of the rims, and wheel than where the bearings of the wheel shaft are above or below the line of draft as in many instances where this kind of casters is used.

I would state that I am aware that a land propeller has been before invented in which the motive power is a rotary engine and that it has been operated by means of an endless belt or chain passing around two drums 'on the shaft of the engine, and the other on the shaft of the driving wheels, and that the equivalent of this gearing (two cogged wheels on each shaft either of equal on unequal diameters,) has been used for this same purpose. But in neither of these contrivances are the same facilities for increasing and diminishing the speed and power of the propeller or for throwing the engine out of gear (to apply to other purposes) presented as in my combination and arrangement of devices.

Having thus described the diflerent part-s of my invention and their connection with each other I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do not broadly claim the combination of the rotary engine with the driving wheels by means of cogged gearing. Neither do I claim any arrangement of cogged gearing separately. But

Vhat I do claim is- The combination and arrangement of a rotary engine with the driving wheels of a land propeller by means of the described combination and arrangement of cogged gearing in the manner and for the purposes substantially as herein set forth.

' GEO. W. N. YOST.

WVitnesses T. G. CLAYTON, J. C. CLAYTON. 

